Things to do…

Events

Dawes Arboretum - Ohio 13, three miles north of I-70.

Leonid Meteor Shower Night Hike - Nov. 16, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Attend a short indoor program on the Leonid Meteor Showers and then go on a hike to explore the night sky! General Admission: $5, Members (Registration Required): FREE, meet at the Visitors Center.

White House Christmas Traditions - Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. Learn how holiday traditions have evolved at the White House. From John & Abigail Adams’ Christmas Day reception in a still unfinished “President’s House,” to today’s televised National Christmas tree lighting ceremony, this class covers it all! Presidential history buff Jeri Diehl Cusack shares tales about First Families’ unique choices of greeting cards and staff gifts, how Christmas celebrations have been impacted by times of peace versus times of war, and the effect of ever-changing technology. Light refreshments will be served. FREE at the Visitors Center.

Home School Investigations- Trees as Habitats Investigation - Tuesday, Nov. 20, 9 - 10:30 a.m. and 1 - 2:30 p.m. Join other home school students in exploration of our natural world. Each 90-minute session includes a hands-on science study correlated with the Ohio Academic Content Standards for Science. Sessions are for ages six to ten. $5 per student with preregistration required. Discovery Center.

Holiday Greenery Workshops - Saturday, Dec. 1, (register by November 26) 9 - 11 a.m. OR Saturday, Dec. 15 (register by December 10) 2 - 4 p.m. Create a festive arrangement of greens taken from The Dawes Arboretum grounds to decorate a hearth or table. Let the sight and smell of pine boughs, holly branches, cedar berries and other greens put you in the mood for the holidays. The Arboretum provides all of the materials, including decorations and candles, to enliven your display. Visitors Center - $30/$20 members; registration required (no vouchers).

Holiday Decorations for Wildlife - Saturday, Dec. 1, 1 - 4 p.m. OR Saturday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m. - Noon. Join this fun, entertaining workshop to build a wreath or swag for wildlife! Once the basics are learned, embellish a work of art with tasty, edible decorations just for wildlife! These holiday decorations for wildlife must be set outdoors on a front door, barn door or fence where wildlife can take advantage of it. All materials are provided-greens, unsalted popcorn and peanuts, cranberries for stringing, pine cones to be stuffed with peanut butter and birdseed, fruit slices and more! Visitors Center - $30/$20 members, reservations required.

The Visitors Center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays and holidays. For more information visit www.dawes arb.org

Wildlights - Columbus Zoo. We have decked the halls, trees, bushes, everything but the animals with eco-friendly LED lights to bring you the brightest Wildlights display ever! Central Ohio’s favorite family holiday tradition is celebrating its 24th year and offers more holiday fun than ever before! Wildlights run from Nov. 16 to Jan. 1. Wildlights activities run from 5 - 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursday and from 5 - 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Regular admission rates apply. For more information, visit www.columbuszoo.org

Leonids Meteor Shower - William C. Kraner Nature Center, Newark. Join the members of Central Ohio Astronomical Society at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, as they discuss the latest news in astronomy. Then step outside to observe the meteors and other celestial bodies, weather permitting. FREE!

Dinosaur Series - William C. Kraner Nature Center, Newark. Join Dale Gnidovec, Collections Manager & Curator, Orton Geological Museum at OSU and Columbus Dispatch columnist for the third of a three part series, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18. Part 3: The Dinosaur Disaster. Dale is back to discuss some of the many theories that have been suggested to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs and other organisms at the end of the Mesozoic and discusses the evidence (or lack thereof) on which those theories are based. $5 per person.

Bestselling Author Jeff Shaara - Newark. Bestselling author Jeff Shaara will be doing a Civil War presentation and book signing at the Newark Library, Saturday Nov. 17 at 1:00 pm. Mr. Shaara’s Civil War historical fiction includes Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure and his latest A Blaze of Glory. There will be a book signing after the event, books will be available for purchase at the event. This event is free and open to the public at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, in Meeting Room A. Seating is limited, doors to the meeting room open at noon.

Community Thanksgiving Service - Buckeye Lake. The Lakewood Area Ministerial Association is holding a Community Thanksgiving Service at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18, at First Community Church in Buckeye Lake. Everyone is welcome! Please bring canned vegetables to help fill out Thanksgiving food baskets.

Barn Dance! - Newark. Y’all join in for Bill Martin, Jr.’s “Barn Dance!” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 18, at Licking County Library’s downtown Newark location. Following Bill’s book, families will enjoy old fashioned entertainment lead by singer and storyteller Ellen Ford. There will be music, stories, and singing games. We’ll finish with refreshments. This free program is appropriate for all ages. Call the Children’s Department at 740-349- 5550 for more information.

Day After Thanksgiving Fun - The Works, Newark. Experience a new twist on a favorite holiday tradition, Holiday Homecoming, on Friday, November 23 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Holiday Homecoming at The Works is a celebration of family, friends, and community inspired by featured gallery artist, Aminah Robinson. Families will enjoy creating story journals and ornaments crafted from multi-media materials to decorate The Works’ holiday tree. Columbus author, Tracy Lawson, will share pages from the journal of her third great-grandfather’s 1838 trip from a Cincinnati suburb to New York City, which she turned into a book titled “Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More”. Glass demonstrations and ornament making, classic holiday movies, and Land of Legends historical demonstrations are also part of this afternoon of family fun. Admission is $2 per person for members and general admission rates for non-members.

Author Lee Smith - Dension University, Granville. Notable fiction author Lee Smith will share her work at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27, in the boardroom of Denison University’s Barney-Davis Hall (200 West Loop). During her career, Smith has published 15 pieces of fiction, including her most recent work “Mrs. Darcy and the Blue- Eyed Stranger.” Smith also has authored the novel, “The Last Girls,” which was a 2002 New York Times Bestseller and recipient of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.denison.edu

Music

Trillium Piano Trio Concert – Lancaster. The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio presents the Trillium Piano Trio in a concert of “American Sounds” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18. The trio includes David Puls, violin, Cynthia Puls, cello and David Cooper, piano. Cynthia Puls describes the trio’s music: “Our roots are worldwide and span many centuries.” Admission is $12 for Center members and $15 for non-members. The Decorative Arts Center is located at 145 E. Main St. in Lancaster.